Almost 6 months since we lost GRock, is Hit 106 a hit?

[RadioNation]

It's been almost 6 months since we lost one of the best stations in America: WHTG-FM. My question to all the Alt. fans out there is how have you found new/retro Alt. music ever since 106.3 died? Personally, I've been listening to SiriusXM Ch. 47 & 54 , 104.5 (when in freehold), 101.9 - but the station becomes frustrating w/ their "buffet of rock". But kudos to 90.5 for at least attempting to bring some of the old listeners over.

The big question is what happens to Hit 106 if the numbers aren't good? I know the station will be around at least for a couple years to see if they can build an audience, but I was driving on the Parkway in Ocean County - and you really are just totally bombarded by CHR's coming at you in every direction. I heard Black Eyed Peas 8 times on my drive from AC - thats right 8 times on about 8 different hit music stations in the area.

It's a shame Monmouth/Ocean radio has turned into this -

 

[nd2023]

No. The last thing Jersey needed was another top 40 station.

 

[hubcity]

Eight times for "Boom Boom Pow", huh? That sounds low, and that's just judging by my daughters' replay volume.

Having gone through most of the stages of grief here (at least twice, first in 2000 and then again in January - and it's all Terri Carr's fault for making the station listenable again) I've settled on acceptance. Commercial radio's in business to (a.) make money, and (b.) (see a.)

Of course, I spend more time as a filter than as a listener; most of my solitary commute-time in-car listening is time-shifted out-of-market specialty shows and MP3s I get from hopeful bands because, well, Altrok Radio's gotta play *something*. I'm not on commercial radio, though, so I get to play by different rules.

For listeners in-market, though, the sad fact is this: There may be more money-making strategies in the world, but for radio stations purchased at unsustainable prices during market booms, the only thing that makes sense from a business perspective is to play the stuff that most people want to hear, until such time as the market saturates and you haven't got that option anymore because everyone's tired of hearing it everywhere and settle on their favorite outlet, e.g. the one that's the most engaging over and above the hits that it has to play. If that roulette ball doesn't drop on your station's slot, you lose - these days, you lose your shirt and possibly your license.

My question is: how's that working out for Hit106?

Here's where I stand: as CHR stations go, Hit106 is becoming as adventurous as B98.5 was, and it should be observed that its pedigree (and by "pedigree", I mean "Matt Knight") is pretty solid on that front. I'm finding it to be the least-tuned out of the CHRs on my car radio (maintained because I have the aforementioned daughters, and because my own selections only take up three out of the twelve buttons I've got.)

Which of course means it's doomed. Nary a radio station has survived my saying something good about it.

 

[blueclaws1210]

Hit 106 as a hard area to deal with. They already got Z100,now fm and south jerseys chr stations. One thing i noticed is they play many rock songs in between and also songs from early 2000s. That is someway could make them better at the jersey shore.Plus they have a great signal from middlesex cnty all they way to north of A.C. They can pick up a good amount of people.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Hit 106 has got to be one of the most brutal stations I have ever heard. I was in an office recently and forced to listen to it (couldn't get up the nerve to tell them to change it), and it was honestly one of the most excruciating experiences in my life ... I'll never know what it feels like to give birth to a child, but I'm guessing this has to be one of the closest things in terms of sheer agony.

Here in Ocean County, there is absolutely no FM substitute for G Rock - nothing that even comes close. Radio 104.5 is essentially a hit machine, a classic rock station for the under 40 set. They don't break much new music at all, '80s titles are few and far between, and the core of the playlist are those same Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, Stone Temple Pilots, etc. songs that MMR, YSP, WRAT and the rest also play to death. WRXP is more adventurous, but a non-factor in this area. WJSE has its moments, but they only reach the fringes of the southern part of the county - and I personally could do without the Metallica and Nickelback, but I would put up with it if only to hear something decent during my commute.

Monmouth/Ocean is a wasteland for radio. All we have are multiple Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Classic Rock and Country stations, and nothing that falls outside of those formats. The only thing I can tolerate these days is news/talk programming, because I don't want to listen to the spoon-fed pablum that the other stations are spewing. It broke my heart to see a station go from something that was extremely relevant and necessary in this market to something so immature and nausea-inducing. I eagerly anticipate the ratings and really would love to see Hit 106 tank in the ratings. Press deserves it for the way they disrespected the G Rock listeners and personnel.

 

[d21ofnj]

The most I would tune in to Hit personally maybe twice a month. I can't even keep the preset to the hitmix at 5, and no, it's not because of Pulse 87's digital upgrade. I am aware Matt Knight is doing his damnest to make everyone forget about Z and Now FM, but majority of CHR listeners stick to the NYC brands. Now 4th of July trafic was brutal, of course many came to visit, do u really think Hit has good PPM's that weekend. From what I've been hearing in the malls and on the streets, maority of listeners keep it on Z or Now, and barely heard Hit anywhere, then again, they all sound the same, except Hit does lean to more rock hits than Z, that's basicaly know how I can tell the difference with these CHR stations. I can't speak of the Ocean Co.CHR's since I'm in Monmouth Co., but IMHO, if Hit gets numbers, its gonna come from Ocean more than Monmouth. No way I could imaging G-Rock flip to CHR, 20 years of tradition scrapped away for a CHR franchise to see who can be a "better CHR." Well, we just gotta wait for the numbers to tell the story.

 

[RadioNation]

I must admit - Hit 106 might be one of the most adventurous CHR's out there...(3 Days Grace?) but I feel that even if Hit 106 can bring 94.3 The Point down a notch..Press would consider themselves winners. If you're a 20 something male like myself - we're not being targetting by ANYONE. Do we not buy clothes, cars, beers, let alone stuff for the ladies - Why wont 1 station in the whole area target us? And don't say WRAT - (which arguably targets more of a 35-40 male)

 

[Up_N_Down_The_Dial]

Lovin' life with 'JSE in Atlantic County... sorry... had to do it...

not to be a smart ass, but at work you can stream jse if they allow it... it's better than listening to CHR against your will...

 

[SoulCrusher]

I must admit - Hit 106 might be one of the most adventurous CHR's out there...(3 Days Grace?) but I feel that even if Hit 106 can bring 94.3 The Point down a notch..Press would consider themselves winners. If you're a 20 something male like myself - we're not being targetting by ANYONE. Do we not buy clothes, cars, beers, let alone stuff for the ladies - Why wont 1 station in the whole area target us? And don't say WRAT - (which arguably targets more of a 35-40 male)

Playing 3DG is not a big deal at all. I assume the song was "Never Too Late", which went to the upper reaches of the Rock charts and was moderately successful on Top 40 formats.

While I will concede that there are a lot of younger people that are into classic rock, there still is a need for a format with a more cutting-edge take on rock. 105.7 The Hawk is clearly aiming for the older demos with their take on classic rock. 95.9 The Rat is essentially a classic rock station that also plays a few newer songs, but they opt for bands that clearly aim for the female demos (Nickelback, Hinder, Saving Abel, Daughtry, etc.) while eschewing Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, and other edgier acts. I suppose that the slight amount of newer titles and a tad more songs from the '90s will make them more palatable to demos that find The Hawk to be "too old", but these people will certainly jump ship if a true Active Rocker were to launch - the same applies to an Alternative format. I'm a male listener under 35 who finds both The Hawk and The Rat to be extremely bland, and I would rather listen to WRXP or Philly's '80s-intensive WBEN through static than listen to either one of them.

The decision by Press to flip G Rock to Hit 106 was extremely impulsive, just like the move about 5 years ago when they went full-on Hot AC and played Santana, Five For Fighting, Sting, Norah Jones, etc. The egos in this company are just too big for anyone to admit that maybe they made some mistakes by testing the loyalty of listeners with all the music tinkering (playing acts like Pink, Maroon 5 and Avril Lavigne early on, the aforementioned temporary Hot AC switch, and the heavy dose of Nickelback and other Neanderthal rockers for two years after the launch of G Rock Radio in '05), poorly promoting the Ocean Co. simulcast switch from 98.5 to 106.5, dropping personalities for no rhyme or reason (replacing Brian Phillips & Jen Ursillo with Kramer especially), and the clear lack of enthusiasm for the format on the part of pretty much everyone other than the G Rock personalities. To think that replacing a one of a kind format in the area with another Top 40 station (Hey Press, you could have filled a whole list of presets anywhere in the market with this format - and that was before 92.3 Now launched!) will suddenly lead to huge success is not only foolish, it's insane.

 

[RadioNation]

Soul... your observations on Radio 104.5 as a Hit Machine? Isn't that going too far? I admit the station doesn't dig as deep as GRock did. 104.5 is mostly a 90's gold Alternative format w/ some new Alt. songs thrown in. Are they a "Top 40 Station for Alternative?" maybe? But I think their approach is to take the male/female 25-34 and basically keep them locked in. Seems to be working - while WYSP is a disaster and is next to die in the a-la CBS Radio Rocker Family. WMMR, while decent - is predicatable. Sucks cause if u live in this area (Mon/Oc) - these are all fringe stations.

 

[oasisrulz]

I have to say that 1045 is the best around in this day and age when everyone is against any form of Rock music. Where else can you hear Rancid, Killers, Smithereens, Modest Mouse, MGMT, Deathcab, new and old Alternative and Grunge. I admit they are not as good as when they first launched and will not go very deep, but at least you can hear this music in the Philly market, because MMR and YSP wont touch the stuff....if it was not for RFF, we would have to rely on Sirius/XM non stop.

 

[SoulCrusher]

Radio 104.5: Maybe having WHTG around for so many years spoiled me, I don't know. I wanted to like this station, but I'm finding them to be way too safe and timid for my tastes. They make G Rock during its most tame period look daring by comparison. What disappoints me is the way they sleep on newer songs for a long time ... I mean, the latest titles from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Franz Ferdinand were on the charts for months before they finally added them. The same is true for MGMT, who they completely avoided until "Kids" came out. And then there's a lot of acts that they play that belong more on a Hot AC station ... Tonic, The Fray, Blues Traveler, All American Rejects, etc. But probably what disappoints me the most is what they don't play. Ever hear any pre-Document R.E.M. - or even any post-Document R.E.M.? Any pre-Violator or '90s Depeche Mode? Anything from The Smiths besides "How Soon Is Now"? Any Pixies or Replacements at all? Some Blur other than "Song 2", James other than "Laid", or Blind Melon other than "No Rain"? Heck, even anything from Live that wasn't from Throwing Copper? The answer to all is NO ... and mind you, these are all extremely popular and successful bands. It's not like I'm saying they should play Coward, Loud Lucy, Cell, or some other obscure band that got light rotation for one or two songs in the '90s. They deserve a thumbs-up for a handful of surprising adds (Company Of Thieves and Phoenix), but I hope their library gets some more depth. They've got the Jack-style presentation (limited jock presence and smart-aleck sounding station ID guy), so I'd like to see Jack-style variety.

Hit 106: What I said before may have come off as harsh. In fairness to the programmers that work at the station, let me say that while I find the station to be awful, I don't think it's any worse than the myriad other Top 40 stations that flood the Monmouth/Ocean market. I'm sure there's some differences that set them apart from all the rest, but you would have to listen for much longer than I'm willing to in order to find them. I'm a little bit more negative toward Hit 106 than the rest because of what the station used to be, and the way Press handled the format change. They wouldn't accept blame for the mistakes they made in handling G Rock, instead placing it squarely on the heads of listeners. In addition to that and the way they flipped G Rock without warning, Press couldn't even extend the courtesy to listeners of moving G Rock online. This just proves what I've been saying about Press and pretty much everyone having no passion for alternative rock ... except for the jocks/programmers, of course. At least Millennium Radio was decent enough to launch an online alternative station. It's not the same as having an actual FM station, but it'll do for now. Of course, during my long drives, I'm left with either talk radio, tapes or CDs.

 

[NJRadioKill]

Did press offer you a job soulcrusher? why the sudden change of heart? As far as Hit 106 is concerned, they are the future of radio. Top 40/CHR is one of the only formats generating revenue. In this economic downturn companies have to do something to surive. Flipping formats is definetly a cop out, but it's better then going belly up and resulting in even more job loss. Rock formats are flipping all over the country and in much bigger markets than Monmouth/Ocean county. Radio 104.5 is doing what they have to do to attract a broader audience. Niche audiences aren't paying the bills anymore. Advertisers want the most bang for their dollar. They want to reach the broadest audience they can while spending the least amount of money. So the stations that reach a small niche audience, i.e. G-Rock, don't have many options. The songs your talking about maybe be great songs, but they wont boost ratings or revenue because only die hard fans apprecite them. And die hard fans are the minority these days. Its unfortunate, but its reality.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Wow, someone comparing listening to a radio station to CHILD BIRTH.

The level of hyperbole on this board has no limits.

 

[GSP163]

The ratings show that WHTG/WBBO is down to a 1.3......WRAT had a nice surge up to a 3.8 and is now 4th in the market....So to answer the question, Hit 106 is NOT a hit.

 

[SoulCrusher]

The ratings show that WHTG/WBBO is down to a 1.3......WRAT had a nice surge up to a 3.8 and is now 4th in the market....So to answer the question, Hit 106 is NOT a hit.

Though many have said that Millennium Radio swapping the NJ 101.5 simulcast on WXKW-FM in South Jersey for ESPN Radio was a dumb move, nothing can possibly top the decision to drop the only spot for Modern Rock in the market with another Top 40 station. Those who enjoy hit music are perfectly content listening to 94.3 The Point, Z-100, Q 102, Wired 96.5, WAYV, etc. WRAT were clearly beneficiaries of this format switch, though I haven't jumped on board - I can only take so much of those sound-alike generic corporate rock hacks that they love to play (Nickelback, Saving Abel, 3 Doors Down, Hinder, Daughtry, etc.).

I wonder what the Press spin is going to be on these anemic numbers: "Well, it must have been the week or two after the last ratings book when it was still G Rock ... yeah, that's why our ratings are in the toilet!".

 

[d21ofnj]

So you mean to tell me, the "Hit music connection" that can be heard from Newark to Atlantic City only got a 1.3? Damn, Now got more ratings and they play 10,000 same songs in a row.

 

[Raider57]

It can be heard real well into Passaic County. Did WHTG increase their signal since they switched to Hit 106? It seems to come in more clear than when it was G Rock.

 

[GSP163]

It can be heard real well into Passaic County. Did WHTG increase their signal since they switched to Hit 106? It seems to come in more clear than when it was G Rock.

There are or could be several reasons why WHTG-FM can be heard farther north.

-The pirates on 106.3 are off
-When 106.3 WFAF (Mount Kisco) moved their transmitter it really killed any southern signal they had
-Tropo conditions

I remember many years ago before WHTG-FM made their signal changes I remember listening to Classic Rock on 106.3 WZZN quite clearly in Bergen County.....Today except for the extreme NE section of the county, 106.3 is pretty much 60% WHTG & 40% WFAF

 

[d21ofnj]

The ratings show that WHTG/WBBO is down to a 1.3......WRAT had a nice surge up to a 3.8 and is now 4th in the market....So to answer the question, Hit 106 is NOT a hit.

Where did you find the numbers at?